Councillors in Flintshire asked to back a council tax rise of just under 5%

Senior councillors in Flintshire are being asked to approve a council tax rise of just under 5% for the 2023/24 financial year.

The Flintshire County Council Cabinet is due to meet on Thursday, 23 February to discuss the proposals, which will then be presented to the full council later on the same day for a final decision.

The local authority received an additional £19.5m of funding from the Welsh government, which has gone some way to bridge the £37m gap in the council’s budget.

However, Flintshire County Council says it is still facing several financial pressures beyond its control, such as pay awards, temporary accommodation, and school transport costs.

It is proposing an overall annual increase of 4.95%, which amounts to £71.75 per annum and brings the total to £1,521.33 on a Band D equivalent.

The authority said it had set a clear direction to keep any annual increase in council tax at 5% or less.

Council officials stated that the increase is necessary to meet additional contributions to the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Regional Coroners Service, and Regional Education Consortium GwE, as well as the rising costs of workforce and other expenses.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Roberts, said, “We have worked hard to ensure that we present a balanced budget and maintain council services.”

“We are acutely aware of the financial pressures which all households are facing and have therefore kept the element of Council Tax relating to council service to 3.99%, when taking into account other levying bodies the overall level equates to 4.95%.”

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Inclusion, Resilient Communities including Social Value and Procurement, Councillor Paul Johnson, said, “Whilst the increased allocation from Welsh Government for 2023/24 is welcome, it does still present significant challenges to meet the additional responsibilities for workforce and other costs.”

“Despite these challenges, we have still been able to recommend a balanced budget position to council while keeping the annual Council Tax uplift as low as possible.”

“We are a low-funded council that makes efficient use of our resources as regularly confirmed by our financial regulator Audit Wales.”